Lancaster firm Morecambe Bay Wills & Estates has doubled its community fund and raised more than £59,000 to support local organisations.
The company, which incorporates Lancaster Wills, Kendal Wills and North Wales Wills, has doubled its fund this year to £15,000, extending support to organisations across North Lancashire, South Cumbria and North Wales.
Along with the community fund, the firm – recognised by the British Wills & Probate Awards for the last five years – has donated 5% of every will and lasting power of attorney invoice to local good causes since 2020, in turn raising more than £59,000.
Cancer Care was the company’s sole nominated charity for a number of years and remains its largest supported cause, having received more than £24,000.
Ongoing support also continues for partners including Unique Kidz & Co, Morecambe FC Community Foundation, Positive Futures, Disability Skiing Wales and the Morecambe Bay Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group.
The growth of the fund comes in a milestone year for the firm which celebrated its seventh anniversary on 1 March, having been founded by Nicola Combe (pictured) in Lancaster in 2019.
Combe, a fellow of the Society of Will Writers and a member of its Professional Standards Board, has this year also been invited to join the judging panel for the British Wills & Probate Awards, having previously been a finalist and winner at the same awards. The business won Community & Charity Champions at the awards ceremony in 2024.
Last year’s inaugural community fund round saw 30 local groups across all three regions each receive a £250 grant, including Wyre Juniors Football Club, St John’s Hospice, Four Seasons Allotments Association, Age UK South Cumbria, Ysgol Y Plas, Conwy Mind, Dave’s Defibs and Rhos Methodist Playgroup.
This year, the format is changing.
Rather than a single annual round, grants will be awarded quarterly throughout the year, with a mix of £250 and £500 awards depending on the scale of the project. The firm is also introducing additional support for people who use the services of the charities it backs.
Nominations open on 14 September and will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, with the company reviewing applications and distributing grants in October and again in January, April and July 2027.
Combe said: “Every penny of this fund starts with a client trusting us with their Will or Power of Attorney, so it is really a thank you to them as much as it is a gift to these organisations.
“Building something like this into how we operate, year after year, is one of the things I am proudest of about the business we have built.”
To submit a nomination complete the form here.
